There are many preconceptions about the term “power”, and many of them misrepresent it to an extent. Power is the relational capacity that enables a social actor to influence asymmetrically the decisions of other social actor(s) in ways that favor the empowered actor's will, interest, and values. (2) However, power is never the property of the individual, it is always conferred on someone by those who endorse the resources (1). There are a wide variety of resources that help exert power, but it all depends on the negotiation through interaction within the group. Power in the workplace has traditionally been defined as force, dominance, assertiveness strength, invincibility, and authority.(3)
There are four factors that influence endorsements (1):
1. Preconceptions/Social Categorization- creates strong perceptions of people who are usually powerful and weak.
2. Mystery/The Mystique of Power- surrounds the use of power.
3. Interaction- is the primary means through which endorsement is enacted (1).
4. Skills & Ability/Legitimacy- shows evidence of the valued skills/abilities are great.
The use of power can develop constraints on others that determine the route in which the conflict will take place. Although there are a few ways in which power can take on conflicts.
There are four distinct modes of power (1):
1. Direct Application-using force to make other comply
2. Direct and Virtual Use- communication the potential use of direct force for elicit compliance.
3. Indirect Use- having power without ever making the use of it explicit
4. Hidden Use- used to hide or suppress potential issues
Conflict tactics can very easily employ more than one mode power. Each modes help determine the conditions in which must be met for effectiveness, how open or explicit the influence attempt must be and the parties’ attitudes towards one another.
There are three common and important tactics (1):
1. Threats and promise- appear in almost every conflict.
3. Issue Control- nondecision: suppression of a potential issue
According to John F. Gaski, Pondy described the type of conflict stages, which were (4):
latent conflict: underlying sources of conflict;
perceived conflict: perceptions only, when no conditions of latent conflict exist;
felt conflict: tension, anxiety, disaffection in addition to the perception;
manifest conflict: behavior which blocks another's goal achievement;
conflict aftermath: post-conflict conduct either resolution or suppression
These are aspects that could evolve with the conflict and the person in power has avoid conflict reaching a point of no return. With that being said, if there is an imbalance of power in the workplace, it becomes harder to resolve conflict constructively. If an imbalance occurs it can cause a serious threat to the function of the group. Power has a crucial role in how the productivity within an organization operates.
Bibliography:
(1) Folger, Joseph P., and Marshall Scott Poole. "Power: The Architecture of Conflict.” Working through Conflict: Strategies for Relationships, Groups, and Organizations. 7th ed. New York: PEARSON, 2013. Print.
(2) Castells, Manuel. Communication Power. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2011. Print.
(3) Glaser, Judith E. "Power and Influence." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 09 June 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
(4) Gaski, John F. "The Theory of Power and Conflict in Channels of Distribution." Journey of Marketing. American Marketing Association, Summer 1984. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
There are many preconceptions about the term “power”, and many of them misrepresent it to an extent. Power is the relational capacity that enables a social actor to influence asymmetrically the decisions of other social actor(s) in ways that favor the empowered actor's will, interest, and values. (2) However, power is never the property of the individual, it is always conferred on someone by those who endorse the resources (1). There are a wide variety of resources that help exert power, but it all depends on the negotiation through interaction within the group. Power in the workplace has traditionally been defined as force, dominance, assertiveness strength, invincibility, and authority.(3)
There are four factors that influence endorsements (1):
- 1. Preconceptions/Social Categorization- creates strong perceptions of people who are usually powerful and weak.
- 2. Mystery/The Mystique of Power- surrounds the use of power.
- 3. Interaction- is the primary means through which endorsement is enacted (1).
- 4. Skills & Ability/Legitimacy- shows evidence of the valued skills/abilities are great.
The use of power can develop constraints on others that determine the route in which the conflict will take place. Although there are a few ways in which power can take on conflicts.There are four distinct modes of power (1):
- 1. Direct Application-using force to make other comply
- 2. Direct and Virtual Use- communication the potential use of direct force for elicit compliance.
- 3. Indirect Use- having power without ever making the use of it explicit
- 4. Hidden Use- used to hide or suppress potential issues
Conflict tactics can very easily employ more than one mode power. Each modes help determine the conditions in which must be met for effectiveness, how open or explicit the influence attempt must be and the parties’ attitudes towards one another.There are three common and important tactics (1):
- 1. Threats and promise- appear in almost every conflict.
- 2. Relational Control- verbal expression regarding people’s relationship
- 3. Issue Control- nondecision: suppression of a potential issue
According to John F. Gaski, Pondy described the type of conflict stages, which were (4):- latent conflict: underlying sources of conflict;
- perceived conflict: perceptions only, when no conditions of latent conflict exist;
- felt conflict: tension, anxiety, disaffection in addition to the perception;
- manifest conflict: behavior which blocks another's goal achievement;
- conflict aftermath: post-conflict conduct either resolution or suppression
These are aspects that could evolve with the conflict and the person in power has avoid conflict reaching a point of no return. With that being said, if there is an imbalance of power in the workplace, it becomes harder to resolve conflict constructively. If an imbalance occurs it can cause a serious threat to the function of the group. Power has a crucial role in how the productivity within an organization operates.Bibliography:
(1) Folger, Joseph P., and Marshall Scott Poole. "Power: The Architecture of Conflict.” Working through Conflict: Strategies for Relationships, Groups, and Organizations. 7th ed. New York: PEARSON, 2013. Print.
(2) Castells, Manuel. Communication Power. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2011. Print.
(3) Glaser, Judith E. "Power and Influence." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 09 June 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
(4) Gaski, John F. "The Theory of Power and Conflict in Channels of Distribution." Journey of Marketing. American Marketing Association, Summer 1984. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.